


Gambler's Ruin

by couragecomplex



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Dangan Ronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc
Genre: Angst, Canonical Character Death, Character Death, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Multi, One True Pairing, One-Sided Attraction, Spoilers, Tragedy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-02
Updated: 2020-12-27
Packaged: 2021-03-08 18:21:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,418
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27351142
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/couragecomplex/pseuds/couragecomplex
Summary: "She gives the intriguing, terrifying boy as warm a smile as she can muster. I look forward to getting to know you better, she says; it’s her first true statement of the day."Naegi Makoto is a Victorian castle for the soul.  Celestia Ludenberg has decided: this is one castle she won't pass up.A retelling of the events of Trigger Happy Havoc (with many creative liberties taken) from the perspective of my favorite character.
Relationships: Celestia Ludenberg/Naegi Makoto
Comments: 24
Kudos: 56





	1. A Gambler's Intuition

Thanks in part to her career as the Ultimate Gambler, Celestia Ludenberg is savvy enough to understand that something is dreadfully wrong. Last she remembers, she’d stepped across the gated threshold of Hope’s Peak. Now, she stands before 13 equally-disoriented-looking individuals. 

Disoriented though they may be, it doesn’t take long for a certain sort of social order to establish itself. One boy, of average build and clad in a pristine white, wields an obnoxiously loud voice in bringing the rest into line. A girl with silky blue hair is talking out of turn, attempting to introduce herself to a demure, olive-clad girl at her right. In all likelihood, no introduction is necessary for the Ultimate Pop Sensation, Maizono Sayaka; Celestia recognizes both her and her voice immediately. So too does the boy in white; he is unfazed by her presence and quickly tells her to pipe down. 

Celeste spots another boy, horribly overweight and already sweating profusely, staring at her, and she quells her disgust and offers a warm smile in turn. She averts her gaze and scans the room. She recognizes the fake pink hair of Enoshima Junko that she has so often seen in the tabloids and acknowledges the rippling muscles of a girl that must stand at least 190 centimeters. She hides a shiver as she locks eyes with the cold, analytical gaze of the famous Togami heir, and she almost flinches when she finds herself on the receiving end of a bespectacled glare from the sickly-looking girl at his side. 

She pauses to collect herself, and it is at that moment that a 15th student bursts through the doors of the foyer. His hair bobs as he catches his breath and introduces himself, and his eyes widen as the martinetish boy tells him off for his tardiness. His brown hair, short stature, and trendy clothes scream unremarkable, and Celeste finds herself unspeakably annoyed when his already-wide eyes turn to saucers at the sight of Maizono Sayaka. Once he has been scolded sufficiently, he falls into line with the rest of the class. Celeste weighs speaking up; it’s certainly in her own best interest to learn more about the people around her. She’s cognizant of her own utter confusion, and callous though it may sound, knows that the Ultimate talents around her might be the keys to her understanding. 

She opens her mouth to begin, but someone else beats her to it, a girl with tanned skin and generous proportions. Her voice and demeanor are bubbly, almost revoltingly so; she wisely asks that people introduce themselves, but Celeste anticipates it more of a social decision than a strategic one. 

Nonetheless, the introductions begin. Celeste steers clear of Maizono and Enoshima - not only has she no interest in fraternizing with pop sensations and models; their Ultimate talents are also ultimately useless. She also means to avoid Yamada Hifumi, but he chases her down for the incomprehensible purpose of introducing himself as “The Alpha and the Omega” and the Ultimate Fanfiction Creator. She giggles politely and leaves him in the dust. Instead, she approaches and files away some of the more useful individuals: Fujisaki Chihiro, the Ultimate Programmer, possesses potentially valuable skills; Ogami Sakura, the Ultimate Martial Artist, would be invaluable in a fight; Kuwata Leon and Asahina Aoi, the Ultimate Baseball Star and the Ultimate Swimming Pro, both appear physically capable, as does Owada Mondo, the Ultimate Biker Gang Leader; the taciturn Kirigiri Kyoko refuses to reveal her Ultimate ability, but something tells Celeste that she’ll be an important ally. 

But of the thirteen students she bothers to meet, it is the final introduction that piques her interest and shakes her to the core all at once. The boy introduces himself as the Ultimate Lucky Student, and already Celeste is intrigued. Luck, after all, is her own brand, carefully crafted over a years-long gambling career. But it is what he does next that jars her: he questions her name. It’s simple water under the bridge for him, she can tell - without thinking, he points out a perceived oddity - but his words wake a sleeping beast. 

"Celestia Ludenberg is my real name," she insists. "But as I mentioned, I’d much rather you call me Celeste." Her words are forced, though she doubts he can tell. She feels the heat rising within her; she feels a scream bubbling in her throat. She balls her fists behind her back, digging the pointed end of her gunmetal ring into her palm. The corners of her vision tint with red as the scream continues to rise - my name is Celestia Ludenberg, GOD DAMN IT - and she applies more and more pressure until she feels the brass tip break the skin. The feeling of blood welling up in her palm douses the fire and cools her head, and she makes a note to patch herself up later. 

She gives the intriguing, terrifying boy as warm a smile as she can muster. "I look forward to getting to know you better," she says; it’s her first true statement of the day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Celeste is hardly shy about viewing things from a strictly utilitarian standpoint, and she's quick to brush off an idol and a fashionista as useless. But someone intrigues her, someone who catches her eye despite looking entirely unremarkable...


	2. A Gambler's Resolve

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "All is going according to plan. Students shout over each other, and the atmosphere is fraught with desperation, despair, and ultimate opportunity."
> 
> As the revelation at Hope's Peak Academy unfolds, Celeste attempts to navigate the chaotic situation the only way she knows how.

The rest of the students are utterly in shambles, and in spite of her outwardly cool demeanor, Celeste is equally shaken. No amount of even shady underground gambling prepares one for the realization that, in effect, they’ll have to kill to survive. Celeste, to her own credit, is quick to stabilize herself - part of a skilled gambler’s repertoire is improvisation, after all. And to the end of improvisation, where others seem at a loss, she sees a possible opportunity. As the eccentric bear-bot disappears, she casts an eye around the room, observing the vibrant spectrum of anger, disbelief, and despair. 

Owada Mondo’s response needs no further analysis, she muses. She already knows everything she needs to know - impulsive, violent, and stupid - yet he remains a difficult proposition. In a killing game, such unpredictability makes for a dangerous opponent, but an unreliable ally as well. 

And now, of course, he has punched the curious boy. Some luck, Celeste thinks to herself as the Ultimate Lucky Student slumps to the ground like a sack of potatoes. She angles away from his collapsed body and flinches inwardly at the piercing shriek that emanates from the bottomless lungs of Maizono Sayaka. The Pop Sensation chews at her obscenely perfect fingernails as Ogami Sakura effortlessly hoists the boy onto her shoulder, carting him off to somewhere. The incorrigible bluenette shuffles after them like an obedient puppy. Owada stalks off as well; Ishimaru Kiyotaka - the boy in white - shouts after him but is squarely ignored. 

Celeste pauses to savor the implications of the scene. Whether the boy is lucky aside, tactful he is not; his provoking a thug like Owada is proof of that much. The first to die in this killing game, she understands, are the foolish and the naive. Her eyes follow the fading backs of the pair of fighters. They each have an air of power about them, an aura that makes them undeniably dangerous, but she does not fear them. Owada is headstrong and unadaptable; if her caring for the boy is any indication, Ogami is too compassionate to pose any sort of threat. Strong they may be, but fit to win this killing game they are not. 

Finally, Celeste’s gaze washes over the frigid stares of Kirigiri and Togami, before finally settling on her own obsidian skirt. If gambling has taught her anything, it isn’t the strong that survive; it is the tactful and the lucky. 

\-----

Celeste knows that Monokuma isn’t to be taken lightly, and she understands that there is no way out of the school. Any effort to find one is a waste of valuable time and energy - she tells herself as much while, one by one, the rest of her peers file out in their respective groups.

Celeste hangs back as the students separate. It isn’t lost on her that Kirigiri slips away immediately, as does Togami, the affluent progeny. Ishimaru had chased Owada out of the room, so he’s already gone too. On the other side of the gym, Kuwata and the alleged clairvoyant, Hagakure, have already made nice - they seem to be salivating over the retreating figure of the blue-haired idol. It figures, she snorts, given that they seem equally airheaded; it’s little surprise when the buxom swimmer joins them and they wander off in trio. 

Celeste can’t help but smile contentedly at her luck: one potential person of interest is left behind. By the back wall of the gymnasium, the timid computer genius Fujisaki is still reeling from the events of the prior fifteen minutes - weak, malleable, and ultimately useful. Celeste whips around, her helical extensions slicing through the air, and makes for the helpless girl- only to be cut off by Enoshima Junko. The bubbly fashionista calls out to the smaller girl, slings a slender arm around her shoulders, and strokes her hair, and off they go on what is undeniably a wild goose chase. 

Instantly, the fire rages again. How DARE she, the empty-headed whore? Celeste’s ears turn white hot and the red in her vision grows deeper as her blood begins to boil. Enoshima Junko - an inveterate scatterbrain, an insignificant worm that dares to threaten, to steal from, to humiliate Celestia Ludenberg! 

And humiliate Celestia Ludenberg she certainly has! It isn’t quite the same as getting picked last for a team in physical education, but the mortification rings in her head all the same. Enoshima Junko has boldly swept her aside like a minor inconvenience, if even that. She has stolen her prey, ruined her plans, and left her in the gym with the repulsive sweaty boy and the grotesque bespectacled girl. The overweight manchild tries to make conversation; the feral bitch all but growls in response. 

A fanfiction writer and romance novelist, Celeste fumes. An ugly, uncouth scream bubbles in the back of her throat, and once again, she pushes it down with a prick from her gunmetal ring. 

\-----

The lucky boy has woken up, Celeste notes. Everyone has gathered in the dining hall, sharing fruitless findings from ill-advised expeditions, but she finds himself oddly enthralled with his exaggerated reactions. He nods emphatically at simple revelations: there’s a room for each of them, Ishimaru bellows, and the boy bobs his head like it’s a mandate from the prime minister; the school has truly been cut off from the outside world, Fujisaki stutters, and the boy’s eyes widen like he’s seen a ghost. 

She laughs; she can’t help herself. She feels herself warm as confused, desperate, angry eyes turn towards her. Why is she laughing? How can she laugh? At a time like this? She’s laughing at the boy, of course, but she feels her instinct and cunning kick into high gear. For the first time, she has a truly captive audience; just her luck, the others are playing right into her hand. 

“I am just happy, that is all,” she says. “It seems like splitting up to investigate was a good idea after all.” Looks of doubt fly across the dining hall; Fukawa grumbles a nasty complaint under her breath.

“Is it not crystal clear to you what is going on?” Celeste continues as fourteen pairs of eyes, including the boy’s wide brown saucers, return to her. “It is perfectly obvious that we have been imprisoned in some secret location, with no way out.” The tension in the air seems to thicken as the words leave her mouth - a truth that everyone understands, but that nobody had wanted to vocalize. 

The tension reaches a breaking point as her peers explode into a frenzy, talks of murder filling the room. As Maizono helplessly begs the rest to remain calm, Celeste steels her resolve to deliver the first nail in the coffin - all is going according to plan. Students shout over each other, and the atmosphere is fraught with desperation, despair, and ultimate opportunity. 

“All we can do is adapt. Adapt to living our lives here from now on.” Celeste’s voice cuts through the rest, clear as day and sharp as the glinting tip of her gunmetal ring. “Survival is not based on who is the strongest or the smartest. It comes down to who can adapt.” She feels the flames in chest leap, licking the back of her throat with their scalding, addictive heat. Everyone is watching her, listening to her; she goes on. 

“As someone who has come out on top more than once, I have a suggestion. Regarding nighttime… school regulations do not actually tell us not to go out at night; I would like to make it official.” She repeats her statement, firmly and incorruptibly: “Going out at nighttime should be prohibited altogether.” Inane questions greet her, questions about why or how; she brushes them aside with ease. She holds her head high as pointed glances shoot from student to student; she knows her seeds have been sown. “Then, if you will excuse me… it is almost nighttime. I would quite like to take a shower before it arrives.” 

Her immovable poker face remains unchanged, but her heart pounds in her chest as she glides away from the group; even as she crosses the threshold to the dining hall, she casts an eye and ear behind her, pleading with whatever ambiguous deity that they follow her in stride. It soars into her throat when she begins to hear murmurs of agreement over the clicking of her heels, and it threatens to explode as she senses them turning to follow her to the dormitories. 

Before retreating fully into her room, Celeste pauses and lends an ear to the shuffling footsteps that fill the hallway. The ever-present fire in her gut burns steady and low; it warms her pounding heart as all of the doors close with a satisfying click.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Celeste has this constant burning inside of her - an ever-present desire to win, to be in control. Behind the cool mask, we see that she's actually quite unsettled and insecure about the possibility of taking charge in this situation, but at the urging of her inner fire, she's really out here to take the situation by the reins and finds the heat inside of her to do so. Damn it I love this character.


	3. A Gambler's Weakness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boy brings rose hip tea. Celeste doesn't have many weaknesses, but this, she freely admits, is certainly one of them.

She isn’t sure why the boy has made a particular effort to find her, but it is not lost on her that the moment he steps into the dining hall, he makes a beeline for her. What is more, he inelegantly brandishes a freshly-brewed cup of fragrant rose hip tea. She can’t suppress a giggle at the absurdity of the situation - a boy after her own heart, she quips to herself. She is in good spirits and does enjoy a good cup of rose hip tea, so she decides to entertain him for now - today must be this Ultimate Lucky Student’s ultimate lucky day. 

Celeste is in good spirits in large part because today marks two full nights of peaceful cohabitation, and notably, zero violations of her nighttime rule. She must admit that she owes Ishimaru a great deal for this development, for his nightly patrols have allowed her to bring the hammer down on the communal regulation. Whatever the reason, things are peaceful and the students are in high spirits - everything is under control, and everything is going exactly to plan.

With the exception of this silly boy, that is. He almost trips over his own feet as he comes up on the table, losing a shoe in the process, before clumsily setting down the cup. Even as it rattles around in the quaint little dish he’s placed it in, not a drop spills out. Lucky, indeed. He looks at her almost expectantly, as if waiting for her to acknowledge either his presence or the fragrant cup of tea he’s set down. He sports a goofy eye smile that makes him look a bit like a puppy; Celeste giggles to herself as she pictures him panting, tongue lolling about. Still, she’s curious about what he has to say and is perfectly content to wait him out. 

“H-hey, Celeste.” He starts out simply enough. Lifting her chin in his direction, she holds his gaze for the briefest of moments before his eyes dart away. The clumsy confidence with which he’d approached her is instantly gone, replaced by nervous apprehension. “Um, I was wondering… if you wanted to chat with me for a bit.” 

Celeste lets the tension hang in the air a moment longer than she needs to before responding - a tactic she’s employed religiously in her gambling days - and relishes the sight of the boy squirming under her regal gaze. She smiles as the sweat begins to bead on his forehead, deciding to put the boy out of his misery. “I suppose you may entertain me for a little while.”

\----- 

The boy would make an utterly horrendous gambler. His palpable nervousness shows itself in his sweating forehead, his trembling hands, his shaky voice. He stumbles through sentences with “ums” and “likes” in a manner quite unrefined. If he looks at all like a puppy, he acts doubly so; he practically bounds off the walls with nervous energy and without composure. The back-and-forth is stilted and unnatural - he talks at length about everything and nothing, and Celeste responds in elegant platitudes that she hopes convey her polite disinterest in the topics at hand. Eventually and inevitably, the lopsided conversation arrives at the topic of escaping the school, and in predictable fashion, the boy says his piece.

“I want to find a way to escape.” Young men, Celeste has found, are always quite like this. Even the ones that lack that overt masculinity of Owada manage to be reckless and over-eager to be heroes. It costs them when they gamble, and it costs them equally in their daily lives. 

“And I believe that escape is impossible, and that adaptation is our only means of survival.” This line of conversation has the potential to wind on forever and the guarantee to go absolutely nowhere. She levels her cool gaze at him, hoping to convey her desire to change the subject, but she’s shocked by the wholly different boy who meets her eyes with strength in his own. 

“I’m going to get us out of here. I promise you.” She’s hardly shocked by the content of his words, but the unbridled certainty with which he says them is jarring. “I’ll work tirelessly - I’ll scan every inch of this school until I can find us a way out. Even if it takes me weeks, months, or years, we’re getting out of here.” 

She pauses again, this time to watch the boy’s response to his own words. The eyes that flitted about nervously now have a strange sort of resolve behind them, and though his youthful voice still cracks at the ends of his sentences, it is steadier than before. Where before he flinched uncomfortably at her level gaze, this time he stares right back at her with a heartfelt intensity. It’s almost enough to make her squirm. 

“You promise… me? You are certainly quick to make promises to suspicious people you do not know. Not to mention, promises that I am unsure you will be able to keep.” 

His gaze intensifies, from strong to almost defiant. “I’m sure I can. That I can promise you this much, I mean. Because…” and suddenly, the fire in his eyes is gone; he breaks eye contact, his gaze cast down towards his hands. He picks at them delicately, almost as if peeling away a film that is nowhere in sight. When he speaks up again, his voice is quieter, but no less intense and brimming with conviction. “Because I’ve made a promise to someone else, too. And I’m going to keep that promise, for sure. I’ll come up with a plan, some sort of perfect strategy that can get us out of here. I just need time.” 

It takes all of Celeste’s strength not to roll her eyes when the boy references an implicit promise to the pop sensation. And though she naturally holds very little respect for the emotional and the unthinking, something about the boy’s frenetic, shortsightedly optimistic rhetoric remains refreshing. Perhaps it is for this reason that, before she knows it, she finds herself speaking. “I would like to share something with you,” she begins. He looks up at her, surprise and confusion washing over his youthful features. “My own perfect gambling strategy.” 

“Is there really such a thing?” 

“Of course there is.”

“And why are you sharing this with me?” 

“Because,” she smiles. “You appear to be gambling with the highest of stakes.” She steeples her fingers in front of her face, hiding the smile that threatens to take shape. “And for lack of any better form of entertainment, I am intrigued.” She clasps her hands together beneath her chin and watches the boy across the table. He leans forward, his fingertips gripping the edge of the table; Celeste can’t help but relish the feeling of watching him yearn for more. 

“As you know, in three years, I’ve gambled to great success. Of course, whatever the game, you must have a mind for strategy.” The boy nods, eagerly and expectantly, and Celeste once again feels a smug satisfaction bubbling in her stomach. His right leg bounces excitedly, like the wagging tail of the puppy he so resembles. “This will allow you to increase your odds of winning. The exciting part about gambling, however, is that there is a power which can overwhelm any strategy.” 

“That power,” she pauses theatrically. “Is luck.” The boy must have been expecting some silly sliver of game theory and is seemingly nonplussed, but Celeste is on a roll. “There are only two types of luck - good and bad. That luck is built into every human at the moment of conception, like a computer program. Luck, one might say, is life.” She lets the Ultimate Lucky Student hang on her final statement. “Do you see what I am saying?” 

“Luck is life…” He squints at nothing on his hands again, his brow crinkling as he visibly grapples with her words. After what seems like quite a while, he looks up at her, a cautious confidence bubbling in his gaze. “So this is your way of saying that you believe in me.” 

“I believe in luck,” she corrects him. “And I am allowing myself to be intrigued by the luck of the Ultimate Lucky Student, if only to satisfy my provisional curiosity.” 

“Thanks, Celeste.” Despite her flippant response, the boy seems to take some encouragement from their interaction. “I won’t let you down.”

Celeste can’t help but scoff at his brazen optimism and naivete. “I’m sure. My own luck never has.”

\-----

It’s still annoying when the flitty bluenette eventually comes to drag the boy away, and how his eyes widen like milk chocolate saucers at the sight of her. But for whatever reason, Celeste is a little less irritated this time - it must be the rose hip tea, she muses, washing her satisfaction down with another elegant sip.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The boy is clueless but strong, and Celeste is intrigued! She's still on her control trip, and it's put her in a good mood - none of that visceral fire and those anger issues in this chapter. On a worse day and without the entertainment she receives from the boy, she'd probably have exploded internally at Sayaka at the end there.


	4. A Gambler's Strength

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "This is how it starts: a game with the highest stakes of all, and Celestia Ludenberg’s decisive victory."

Celeste is exceedingly proud of her Ultimate talent and all of the perks it entails - her quick thinking skills and foresight chief among them - but every once in a while, she is especially glad for her poker face. 

The thought flits across her mind as she stares into the mirror at her unadorned visage. If there were any unbarred windows at this institution, she’s certain that the sun would come streaming into her room as it began to emerge over the Oyama mountain range. A halo of light for the darker and edgier sort of Disney princess. 

It’s 6:30 AM, and she’s been up for about two hours. Celeste is a habitually early riser, but 4:30 is still on the early side for her. She’s awake because she can’t shake the unique feeling that courses down her spine. It’s a familiar sensation, one that resembles the tingling that stretches to the ends of her fingertips and toes after a particularly good hand or lucky draw. It brings the prickling of intrigue, and often, the taste of victory. 

She gazes into cool red eyes, so close to the mirror that her breath begins to fog up the glass. She tilts her head back and forth, testing the different masks she plans to don in the upcoming day. People will follow a commanding visage, she reasons, and to be commanding comes with a deliberate hand on the dial of her emotions. At present, Celeste is almost shivering with anticipation, something she’d do well to hide before making her rounds for the day. She massages her cheeks and widens and narrows her eyes, arriving at a chilling poker face, an adorably unsettling smile, and a laugh like the tinkle of a wind chime. Three discrete settings to rule them all; three indispensable cards to win this absurd game. And who better to do it? 

Sometimes, she gets a little carried away, staring at the face of Celestia Ludenberg. 

Anyhow, this face doesn’t carry its weight without a little TLC, so she turns back to the mirror and unscrews the cap on her toner. Today, she decides, is going to be a wonderful day. 

\-----

Celeste wanders into the dining hall eighteen minutes and thirty three seconds late, the same as every other day. She enters on the tail of the Ultimate Unknown, who doesn’t hold the door for the Ultimate Gambler - a minor annoyance, but perhaps to be expected. Resentment is often the price of control. Or perhaps, Kirigiri sees little point in making nice with Celeste, a possibility that manages to tick off the latter a little bit more. She shrugs it off and pushes her way through the doors. 

The same cast of characters is there to greet her: an overweight slob, a posh fashionista, a ear-shatteringly loud prefect, and an Ultimate Lucky Student, among others. The same cast of characters is not yet present, though it’s of little import to her, save for one conspicuous absence. The class stands without the annoying chipperness of a certain bluenette. 

Her other strengths aside, Celestia Ludenberg also excels at reading a room. A tense uneasiness hangs over present company, shown particularly on the face of a certain diminutive boy. He fiddles nervously with his hands, as he is often wont to do; his eyes flit back to the door and he springs to his feet as the beastly-looking one with spectacles shuffles through the entrance. His face falls, and he returns to his sitting position. A new thought irritates her to no end, that the boy had likely sprung to his feet as Celestia Ludenberg herself had strode through the door, only to recoil in disappointment at the sight of anyone but the pop sensation. She can feel that fire scald the back of her throat as she pushes down a maleficent scream, forcing indifference onto her twitching visage. 

Her thoughts are interrupted by the entrance of the Ultimate Affluent Progeny, Togami Byakuya. To his credit, Togami is also perceptive, if not terribly tactful; he announces his presence with the question that hangs in the air for any with an iota of sense to see. 

“...What’s going on? Did something happen?” 

“Hey man, have you seen Sayaka?” 

Diffuse muttering fills the room, musings about the pop sensation and her whereabouts. Celeste feels no need to theorize - her instincts have told her just about everything she needs to know - but she uses the opportunity to look around the room and to confirm her suspicions about her classmates. The fat slob chews at his fingernails without a clue, while the feral girl with glasses grumbles to herself; the burly idiot with the pompadour paces uselessly about, and the self-proclaimed clairvoyant turns to his crystal ball with his query about the pop sensation. On the other side of the room, Togami frowns - an unexpectedly vulnerable expression for the young mogul that makes Celeste feel like she’s violating his privacy. Kirigiri fingers her chin with a gloved hand, seemingly deep in thought, and Ogami’s rippling muscles look tense in her sitting position. She turns to the final group - the busty swimmer, the punk-rock baseballer, the ditzy fashionista, the obnoxious prefect, and Fujisaki - but her survey is interrupted when the boy explodes from his sitting position. 

“I have to check on her!” He springs to his feet and bursts through the doors of the dining hall. Mob mentality seizes the weaker minds of the group, and the biker, baseballer, swimmer, and clairvoyant chase after his fleeing form. Most of the group wanders slowly after the overeager, nervously filing out of the room until just two remain: the Ultimate Gambler, and the Ultimate Contrived Mystery. Celeste turns to the silver-haired girl and speaks first.

“I am sure your best guess is the same as mine.” 

“...I can’t say for sure.” 

“Perhaps not, but I certainly can. You see, Miss Kirigiri, I have an eye and a gut instinct for this sort of thing. One might say it stems from-”

“From years of gambling, yes? You’ve said it a number of times.”

Celeste isn’t sure how she feels about being interrupted, but she’ll let it slide for the time being. After all, something about Kyoko intrigues her, and the Ultimate Gambler has a feeling that hedging her bets on the mysterious girl might be the difference between life and death someday. 

“You are quite perceptive, Miss Kirigiri. I wonder what you are.” 

Before Kirigiri can reply, they are interrupted. Just as the question should have been obvious for those with any sense, so, too, should have been the answer. When the boy’s scream pierces through the halls of the school, it confirms for Celeste what she already knows. A glance at her compatriot’s stony face tells her that they’d been in agreement from the start. 

\-----

Frankly, Celeste would be lying if she said she was surprised, or for that matter particularly disappointed. She’d never liked the Ultimate Pop Sensation, if that hadn’t been clear enough. Still, she’s glad for her impenetrable poker face when she follows Kirigiri into the bathroom, stepping around the dark-skinned swimmer and Fujisaki, who are tending to the passed-out Ultimate Lucky Student. There’s blood everywhere, and it’s still flowing from Sayaka’s stomach wound and onto the linoleum tiling of the boy’s bathroom. The knife, a wickedly sharp blade she recognizes from the kitchen, is still embedded in her torso. The smell of blood hangs in the air, and the nervous chatter of her peers fades into a background humming that makes the whole situation feel even more fantastical than it already does. 

It’s thrilling. Almost arousing. 

Celeste is suddenly hyperconscious of the blood rushing in her ears, and it’s everything she can do not to crack a genuine smile. She’s not happy - she isn’t a psychopath - but it’s also not lost on her, what this murder means: the games have begun. 

She’s nearly giddy with excitement, and she isn’t sure where to start. Does she want to play detective? Does she want to hang back and observe for just a moment more, to watch and see how these caged animals react to this horrible, inevitable, cold-blooded murder? It’s easy, almost too easy, to suspect the Ultimate Lucky Student. After all, Sayaka has been murdered in his own bathroom, no doubt after the hour of nighttime had passed. The thoughts race through her head, almost faster than she can keep track of them. The fire burns hotter than ever before, and she needs to take a deep, chesty breath to calm her nerves. 

As the monitor in the bedroom sparks to life - an announcement from Monokuma, telling the students to gather in the gym - she struggles to suppress her aberrant, unbridled hunger. This is how it starts: a game with the highest stakes of all, and Celestia Ludenberg’s decisive victory. She takes a last look at the corpse of Maizono Sayaka, steels her poker face, and turns towards the door. 

She is met with the sight of the boy being slung onto the broad back of Ogami Sakura. His face twists with agony in his unconscious state, and tears stream down his cheeks as his lips tremble and whisper her name in pathetic lament. It’s a truly pitiful scene, watching the quivering mouth that had just yesterday so confidently declared a promise to keep. 

And yet, a sudden, confusing urge fills the heart of Celestia Ludenberg, replacing the indelible hunger that had been there just a moment before. It’s an overwhelming desire to catch up to the unconscious boy, to place her hand upon his and to tell him that everything will be okay. She digs the sharp edge of her gunmetal ring into her palm, and as the blood wells up, the feeling is gone, as quickly as it came.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dang Celeste kinda fucked up
> 
> love her lots
> 
> also eighteen minutes and thirty three seconds is seventeen minutes and ninety three seconds. i wonder if something fun happened in 17:93.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed the idea and the perspective! Celeste is my favorite character across the entire franchise, and I've been sitting on this idea for a good while now and am super excited to pursue it.


End file.
